Research in many industries, for example, the healthcare industry, may be done at a cohort level. A cohort is simply a set or group of things or people sharing similar characteristics. The “characteristics” of the cohort can be chosen by the administrator/owner of the study such that the characteristics lend themselves to the research study in a meaningful way. For example, if a researcher were studying the effectiveness of a drug on breast cancer patients, the list of characteristics may include female, between the ages of 35 and 50 and stage 3 breast cancer.
Research studies can last for long periods of time, especially in the healthcare industry where diseases and conditions may progress very slowly and drugs used thereon may only have an effect over time. Keeping track of the all the information, for example, lab/test results, MRIs, x-rays, symptoms before and after administering a drug, side effects and the like, throughout the study may be difficult and time consuming. Furthermore, even if the information is recorded effectively, finding and/or searching the information in the future may also be difficult.